A Single Name
by BrynneEryn
Summary: What will happen between the KenobiSkywalker team when Anakin suddenly finds himself single? AniObi Slash
1. Chapter 1

Sorry about the repost—I am still not competent with posting and uploaded the wrong one!

Timeframe: ROTS AU  
Rating: M/Strong R in parts, for sexual content and language  
Warnings: Slash  
Summary: What will happen between the Kenobi/Skywalker team when Anakin suddenly finds himself single?  
Disclaimer: The characters belong to Lucas.

**A/N:** Thanks to **domntrxskywlkr** for the Padmé/Bail idea, and for a certain line in this chapter, inspired by her vignette, To Silence Her Lying Mouth. Thanks for looking it over too, domntrx!

IIIIIIIIIIIIII

**A Single Name**

_"Love is the silent saying and saying of a single name."  
-Mignon McLaughlin_

**Chapter One**

Obi-Wan opened the door to his room, surprised to see Anakin standing in the living area. They had just arrived back on Coruscant after five months of fighting in the Outer Rim, and Anakin usually disappeared for the first few days after a mission. "I thought you were—"

Anakin came to stand right in front of him. "She lied to me." Anakin's eyes glazed over with fury. "That fucking whore."

"Who, Anakin?" Obi-Wan was certain Anakin had been with Padmé, but he never expected Anakin to refer to her in such a degrading way.

"Padmé." He began to pace. "She's been fucking Bail Organa. The whole Sithspawned time I was gone."

Obi-Wan hesitated before speaking. What was he supposed to say to that? "I know you cared for her, but—"

When Anakin reached the kitchen, he slammed his fist down onto the countertop so hard that Obi-Wan was sure he left a dent. "We are married, goddammit."

Obi-Wan frowned. Surely he had heard wrong. "Married?"

Anakin sighed and rubbed his fingertips across the counter, examining the mark he left. "We were, anyway."

Obi-Wan walked over to stand next to Anakin—he still couldn't process what he had just heard. Did the Jedi Oath mean so little to Anakin? Obi-Wan was so baffled by Anakin's rapid revelations that he was speechless for the first time in his life.

"I said I'd contest the separation. But guess what? I can't."

"Wait a minute—."

Anakin didn't wait for Obi-Wan to finish speaking, but continued on his rant. "She already had the marriage dissolved. Didn't even need my signature." His shoulders sagged suddenly and he walked back into the living area. "Apparently on Naboo, a government official only needs to file the paperwork with the court system."

Obi-Wan sighed. Now wasn't the time for him to try and talk to Anakin about his blatant disregard for the Jedi Code. He loved his former Padawan, in spite of his unorthodox behavior. "Is there anything I can do for you?"

Anakin sank down onto the sofa and lay back. "No. But thanks. For not ripping into me, you know?"

"What would be the point, Anakin? I've spoken with you for thirteen years on the dangers of attachments, and yet you got married." Obi-Wan sat down on the small bit of sofa that Anakin wasn't covering with his long legs. He stared at the floor hopelessly. "I don't think you care about anything I have to say."

"Master. Don't say that." Anakin bit his lip. "I care…about everything you have to say. I just fuck it all up. Everything I do goes wrong."

In contrast to the calm Obi-Wan strived for at all times, Anakin was always so dramatic. "That's not true at all, Padawan. You have done a great many things right."

Anakin gave him a slight smile before his expression changed back to gloomy. "There's one more thing."

"_One_ more thing?" Obi-Wan raised his eyebrows. "Are you married to someone else as well?"

"No, Master. I'm being serious."

"I'm sorry." Obi-Wan patted Anakin's knee with affection. "This is just a bit of a shock. Please continue."

"Padmé is pregnant. And she says the baby is mine."

Obi-Wan could only bury his face in his hands and shake his head.

IIIIIIIIIIIII

Obi-Wan woke to a scuffling sound in their living area. He pulled on his robe and walked out of his room to find Anakin sitting on the arm of their sofa, staring out the window at the lights of the city. He could tell from his former Padawan's stiff posture that something was bothering Anakin, even before he noticed his tension in the Force.

"What's wrong, Anakin?"

He could tell Anakin was struggling to keep his voice flat. "Nothing."

"Don't make me drag it out of you—I can tell when you're hiding something."

Anakin looked down at his hands. "It was a dream."

Obi-Wan knew that Anakin had frequent nightmares, but he hadn't seen him this disturbed by a dream in a very long time. "A nightmare?"

"Yes." Anakin exhaled and looked back toward the glow of the city lights. "Padmé's going to die in childbirth."

Obi-Wan frowned. Anakin had been this certain about a dream before, and it had come true. "Are you sure?"

"Master. You know about my mother. I thought you understood."

Obi-Wan cringed. He had apologized many times for brushing away Anakin's fears about his mother, explaining that he had never heard of dreams being that accurate. His Padawan had seemed to forgive him, but Obi-Wan still felt guilty.

"You're right, Anakin. I'm sorry." He put his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Tell me about the dream."

"There's nothing to tell—it's just her, and she's dying." Anakin shook his head. "I know this is wrong. But in a way, I hope she does fucking die." He stepped away from Obi-Wan and stood in front of the window. "She deserves it."

Obi-Wan followed him to the window. "Now, Anakin—"

"I know you're going to say that a Jedi doesn't wish things like that." Anakin turned to face his Master, his blue eyes dark with anger. "But I'm not a kriffing Jedi right now. I'm a husband, or an ex-husband, who's been fucked over."

Obi-Wan was at a loss—he knew he shouldn't feel that way, but part of him was relieved that Padmé was out of Anakin's life. "I'm sorry, Anakin."

"It's fine." He kicked the sofa so hard that it rocked and made a thumping sound against the wooden floor. "I hate her."

Obi-Wan put his hand over his mouth quickly to suppress his urge to tell Anakin not to make so much noise this late at night. "What are you going to do about the dream?"

"I suppose I should warn her. Her and her new lover."

"If you think this was truly a vision, then that might be the wisest thing to do."

Anakin looked back at his Master, his eyes now big and pleading, just like they had been when Anakin was a child. It always amazed Obi-Wan how quickly Anakin could flit from one emotion to another. "Do you think you could tell her, Master?"

"Padawan, no. You got yourself into this predicament."

Anakin looked away. "I'm afraid that if I see her…"

"What?"

Anakin closed his eyes. "I'll…"

Obi-Wan was afraid of what Anakin was going to say, but he imagined it was better for him to get it out in the open. "Keep going."

"I thought about killing her." He opened his eyes again and stared at Obi-Wan. "I thought about killing them both. It would have been so easy."

"But you didn't."

"I wanted to. You know how they say a Jedi has a license to kill? That's how I felt. I killed Dooku today. So why shouldn't I go ahead and kill her cheating ass too?"

"Anakin." Obi-Wan took a deep breath—he knew it was crucial that he appear unfazed by Anakin's admissions, even though he actually felt alarmed at the depth of Anakin's rage toward Padmé and Senator Organa. "I think—"

Anakin cut his Master off again. "But I could have done it, Master. I could have done it and gotten away with it."

"Thinking about harming someone and actually doing it are very different. You resisted."

"Sometimes…" Anakin's voice shook with emotion. "…I feel like I'm losing control."

"You know you can come to me, right?" Obi-Wan reached out and touched Anakin's arm. "No matter what?"

Anakin nodded "Yes."

"I'm serious, Padawan. I am not going to tell the Council you were married—I'm not going to tell anyone. You can trust me."

"Thank you so much, Master." Anakin groaned and covered his face with his hands. "I just don't know what to feel."

What could he say to calm Anakin down? He was quickly becoming hysterical. "You've had a huge shock. I think any man might feel this sort of rage toward his wife if she were to cheat on him."

Anakin lowered his hands from his face. "Really?"

"Yes, really."

"I loved her so much. She was my angel."

Obi-Wan wrapped his arms around Anakin and patted his back as Anakin leaned into his embrace. "I know, I know."

"How could she do this to me?" he whispered.

Obi-Wan had no answer, but he would never forgive Padmé Amidala for hurting Anakin like this. He knew his feelings weren't appropriate for a Jedi Master, but if he never saw her again, it would be too soon.

IIIIIIIIIIII

Anakin's mind reeled with the realization that his mentor and friend, the Supreme Chancellor of the Republic, was a Sith Lord.

Anakin hated being lied to. He didn't like being spoken to like he was stupid, and that's exactly what _Chancellor_ Palaptine must think he was if he thought invoking Padmé's name was going to affect him. As Palpatine gave him his best patronizing look, Anakin wondered why he'd never noticed how phony Palpatine could be.

"You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side. The power to save Padmé."

He was tired of this game—Palpatine clearly meant to use Padmé against him. He guessed the power of the dark side had forgotten to inform the Chancellor that Anakin had thought of killing her himself.

Just that morning he'd caught a glimpse of her stepping out of Organa's speeder. His eyes burned as Organa—always the gentleman—rushed to open the door for her.

As he watched them kiss, he wanted to ignite his lightsaber and cut that lying tongue right out of her mouth.

Palpatine, for all his cunning, had miscalculated. He had played Anakin for the last time. Anakin reached for his lightsaber again. "You've fucked with the wrong person today, old man."

TBC

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_**A/N**: The line "he wanted to ignite his lightsaber and cut that lying tongue right out of her mouth" was inspired by the vignette, To Silence Her Lying Mouth, by domntrxskywlkr._

_Palpatine's line, "You have great wisdom, Anakin. Know the power of the dark side. The power to save Padmé," is from the ROTS movie._


	2. Chapter 2

**Rating**: R for this chapter because of language  
**A/N**: This fic started out as a PWP, and has evolved. I still tried to keep it somewhat light, although the circumstances became heavier than I had planned. My muse is laughing!

--(Barriss Offee and Bant Eerin are official Lucasfilm characters.)

IIIIIIIII

**Chapter Two**

Obi-Wan drug himself into his fighter and strapped himself in—he was dirty and exhausted after his battle with General Grievous, but he didn't want to linger on this dusty planet. He was extremely relieved to be leaving Utapau, not just because of his success in killing that cyborg that had plagued them for months, but mainly because he needed to get back to Coruscant. He had been reluctant to leave Anakin, and hoped that he was faring well enough in the wake of Padmé's betrayal.

With Grievous destroyed, the end of the war should be closer. Maybe he and Anakin could take a brief leave of absence once the Republic was secure—Anakin might enjoy being able to escape Coruscant and the memories of Padmé. Maybe he could begin to put her behind him.

Obi-Wan shook his head. That was probably wishful thinking on his part—Anakin had pined for Padmé for ten years. He wasn't likely to recover from a broken heart just because his former Master took him on a nice vacation. Anakin probably wouldn't want Obi-Wan to go with him anyway; Anakin preferred activities that Obi-Wan found questionable at best. But even if he went alone, Anakin deserved a holiday.

His thoughts were interrupted as his comlink beeped. "Kenobi here."

Obi-Wan watched the small blue image of Mace Windu flicker to life. "Master Kenobi."

The transmission on Utapau had been poor, and Obi-Wan had been unable to connect to Coruscant with his comlink. "Master Windu. I assume you are interested in the status of my mission? I'm sorry I haven't been able to contact—."

When Obi-Wan noticed that Mace's expression was tighter than usual, he felt the first flicker of fear wriggle its way through his stomach. "Mace, what is it?"

Master Windu's frown deepened. "Anakin has been injured."

That flicker of fear exploded through his stomach. Mace would not contact him unless Anakin's injuries were grave. "How badly is he hurt?"

"We're not sure yet."

Obi-Wan forced the next words from his mouth. "Will he survive?"

Mace shook his head slowly. "Obi-Wan…I don't know."

"Can you tell me what happened?"

"We don't have many details. Master Yoda and I found Anakin unconscious in Palpatine's office." Mace paused. "This will likely come as a shock, but Palpatine was the Sith Lord we have been seeking—and we are fairly certain that Anakin killed him."

Obi-Wan knew some sort of response was required of him, but all he could think of was a single name, _Anakin, Anakin, Anakin_ over and over again.

He was the Chosen One, he had balanced the Force, and it may have cost him his life.

Obi-Wan managed to stammer, "Palpatine—the last Sith Lord. Amazing that we didn't realize." His words were hollow; they had been seeking this monster for thirteen years, but there would be no celebration in Obi-Wan's heart if Anakin wasn't around to cherish his victory.

Obi-Wan felt a slight surge of anger toward Mace. He had always been so distrustful of Anakin—without cause. If Anakin lived, Obi-Wan would make certain that the Jedi—especially the Council—appreciated Anakin's deeds. "My Padawan did come through—for all of us."

Mace must have been able to read Obi-Wan's face, because he gave a small smile, as if to appease Obi-Wan. "Yes he did. The Jedi are most thankful." Mace let out a long sigh. "Be careful on your way back, Obi-Wan. I know this is hard for you. As for your mission, was it successful?"

"Yes. Grievous is dead."

Mace nodded. "Good work, Master Kenobi. May the Force be with you."

Obi-Wan couldn't mutter the familiar goodbye—he didn't want the Force to be with Mace. He wanted it to be with Anakin. "Thank you for contacting me, Master Windu."

IIIIIIIIIIIIIIIII

Obi-Wan fought his tears all the way back to Coruscant. He was a Jedi Master—he was supposed to release his worry and grief into the Force. But even with mediation, it was a challenge for him to maintain his composure.

What if Anakin died? He would not view Anakin's passing into the Force as a natural occurrence, no more than he had seen Qui-Gon's death as natural. He couldn't imagine life without his Padwan. He would never again argue with him, never chastise him, never laugh with him, never make love to him…

Obi-Wan dug his fingernails into his palms. He was well aware that he and Anakin wouldn't be making love even if he did recover, but at least the promise was there.

If Obi-Wan were honest, there wasn't even the promise of lovemaking, because Anakin liked women. If his obsession with Padmé was any indication, he liked them a lot. But that was all right. Having his Padawan alive and well was enough for Obi-Wan.

He had fought his attraction to Anakin for years. Living in such close proximity to his Padawan was difficult at best—a hand on his shoulder, arm around the waist, a pat on the back were all constant reminders to Obi-Wan of his predicament. Through extreme concentration, he was usually able to withstand Anakin's affection without becoming aroused, but it took a good deal of energy. Obi-Wan was afraid that one day, he would slip, and then Anakin would know. And that was unacceptable.

Obi-Wan had considered requesting separate living quarters, but he didn't want Anakin to take his caution as rejection. Six months ago, Obi-Wan decided drastic measures were necessary. Meditation had not worked. So Obi-Wan meditated and fasted. After three days of only fruit juice, he was becoming more than a little lightheaded.

_"Master, why aren't you eating?" Anakin stared at Obi-Wan as he poured another glass of the sugary liquid. "Are you ill?"_

_"No, I am cleansing my body of impure chemicals."_

_Anakin merely shrugged, so Obi-Wan assumed that his response sounded authentic enough._

_"Your body needs food, Master."_

No, Padawan, my body needs you…damn it…this had been working_. "Anakin, you should give it a try some time. It only takes a little self-discipline, and all the toxins in your body will be purged."_

_"Whatever you say, Master."_

_Obi-Wan frowned. It was wrong of him to lecture Anakin on self-discipline when his Master didn't even have control over of his thoughts._

After seven days, it had eventually worked, more or less. He had conditioned himself to associate his dizziness and overall ill feeling with his desire for Anakin. So when he began to feel lust for his Padawan, he remembered the sickly weak feeling that plagued him during his fast.

It wasn't exactly an exercise becoming of a Jedi Master, but neither were the feelings that burned within him.

He rubbed his temples as the Coruscant skyline appeared in front of him. Before his fighter had landed on the Temple platform, Obi-Wan was already unbuckling his flight harness.

Obi-Wan headed straight for the healer's wing to find Anakin. As he walked through the doors, he saw Bant Eerin waiting for him. Bant was not only a Healer, but she was one of Obi-Wan's closest friends, and the weight in his chest lessened a bit as he approached her.

Bant embraced him. "Obi-Wan."

Even though Bant's facial expressions were harder to read than a human's, they had been friends long enough that Obi-Wan could tell that she was looking at him with something akin to pity. "That bad?"

Bant patted him on the back. "You can see him if you'd like. I'll take you to his room—I think Healer Offee is in there now."

Bant smiled as she led Obi-Wan down the corridor. "We were all so discouraged when the Separatists started attacking Coruscant. Of course the discovery that Palpatine was behind all of this was quite a blow, but Anakin has given us a reason to keep going—he's restored our faith in the Order."

Obi-Wan tried to smile back. "I'm very proud of him."

For the first time, Obi-Wan remembered that Anakin had admired and respected Palpatine, and considered him a friend. How hard must it have been for his Padawan to raise his weapon against his mentor? It wasn't fair—Anakin had enough pain in his life without this latest treachery.

Bant stopped and pushed open a door. "Here we are."

Obi-Wan straightened his shoulders as he walked into the room. There were other Jedi watching him, and he couldn't afford to become emotional in front of them—not now that he was on the Council.

He let his shoulders relax slightly as he stepped inside—Anakin looked better than he had expected. There were white bandages wrapped around head, and his left arm was in a plaster splint, but he'd seen worse.

He turned to the other healer, who was studying a datapad. "Barriss. How is he?"

Barriss Offee came to stand beside Anakin. "He's holding on."

"He doesn't look too bad."

"Looks can be deceptive Obi-Wan. He's got a serious head injury, and his vision has been affected.

"His vision?" Anakin simply could not lose his sight—he reveled in his ability to fight and to fly, and Obi-Wan was afraid of the despair Anakin would suffer if he lost the two things he was best at. "Do you mean that he's blind?"

"Yes, he's blind."

"Is it permanent?"

"We don't know yet—it's likely that it's temporary. We'll have to wait and see."

Obi-Wan didn't want to talk to Barriss about it any longer. He felt nauseated at the thought of Anakin without his vision, and he dreaded the moment that he had to tell Anakin that he was blind—whether it was temporary or long term. Obi-Wan bit his lip. That was assuming that Anakin lived long enough to have that conversation. No—he wasn't going to think like that. Anakin would wake up, and he would regain his sight.

He stared at Anakin, studying his fingers that were peeking out of the split. It looked like someone had washed his hand off, but neglected the dried blood under his fingernails. Anakin was always concerned about his appearance and often took two showers per day—he'd be horrified to see these traces of blood.

"Where did all the blood come from?"

Barriss glanced over at Obi-Wan. "Master Windu said the window was broken in Palpatine's office."

Obi-Wan tried to keep the accusatory tone from his voice. "He still has blood all over him."

"I'm sorry Master Kenobi, we've been overwhelmed. Yoda recalled all the Jedi back to the Temple after…" She trailed off as she looked at Anakin sadly. "We have been working non-stop."

Obi-Wan sat down into the chair by the window. "I'll stay with him—you can take a break."

"Are you sure?"

Obi-Wan nodded. Any Master would do the same for his former Padawan. But Obi-Wan wasn't just doing this for Anakin's sake, Obi-Wan needed to stay here and just be with Anakin, mostly to convince himself that he was going to be all right.

"Thank you, Master Kenobi. I'll get back to my other patients now." Barriss patted his arm quickly and then pulled away. "If you need to leave, just press the button. He shouldn't be left alone."

Obi-Wan sighed as Barriss left the room. He didn't plan on leaving Anakin alone at all.

Obi-Wan found an empty bowl and a cloth in the supply closet and filled the bowl with warm water. He dipped the cloth into the water, and he began to tell Anakin of Utapau, and the fight with Grievous.

"You would have been impressed—I managed to save myself this time. And I even used a blaster." As he spoke, he gently rubbed the skin around Anakin's fingers until most of the blood was washed away.

**IIIIIIIIIIII****  
**

For the next week, Obi-Wan stayed with Anakin in the healer's ward. He read out loud to him, alternating between topics that Anakin would find boring, such as the origin of the current Senate structure, and topics that Anakin would enjoy, like the engine capabilities of star fighters.

Sometimes he sat quietly and just stared at Anakin, and other times he told him stories about his own days as a Padawan with Qui-Gon. Anakin had always said that his Master didn't share enough of himself, so he made a vow to change that.

Anakin had woken a few times and mumbled, but he wasn't coherent until the morning of the eighth day. Obi-Wan had just finished washing and drying his hair when Anakin moaned and shifted his head on the pillow.

Obi-Wan put his hand on Anakin's shoulder. "Shhh. It's all right."

Anakin opened his eyes. "Master?"

He wanted to crawl into bed with Anakin and wrap his arms around his Padawan, and tell him how much he loved him, but he settled for letting his hand rest lightly on Anakin's head. "Yes, it's me."

Obi-Wan looked down at Anakin's eyes—they looked normal enough to Obi-Wan, until he noticed that Anakin wasn't looking at him, but gazing blankly at the ceiling. He hoped it was still too early to tell if he would recover his sight.

"Hurry, Master." Anakin's voice was barely a whisper, but it was full of urgency. "He's a Sith. _Palaptine_—."

"I know. Don't worry—he's dead."

Anakin relaxed immediately and a faint smile crossed his face. "Dead…" He closed his eyes and drifted back to sleep.

Later that day, Obi-Wan was dosing in his chair when he heard his name.

"Obi-Wan? Are you here?"

Obi-Wan sat up straight and scooted closer to Anakin. "Yes. I'm here."

Anakin smiled briefly before frowning. "What's wrong with my eyes—I can't see."

Obi-Wan knew that Anakin was still somewhat sedated because there was very little emotion in his voice.

"You have a head injury." Obi-Wan recalled the phrase Barriss had used—he would repeat her words instead of using that dreaded term—_blind_. "Your vision was affected, but it's likely that you will make a complete recovery—it will just take some time."

"Oh."

Obi-Wan was tempted to lie to Anakin and tell him that a full recovery was guaranteed, but he knew that would only make Anakin angry in the future. He was also concerned about Anakin's lack of reaction. Barriss hadn't mentioned any personality changes, but was it possible that Anakin had brain damage? Obi-Wan was about to press the call-button when Anakin spoke again.

"I'm _blind_? That bastard made me—"

Obi-Wan sighed in relief as he felt Anakin's disbelief emanating from him. Of course he hated to see Anakin upset, but seeing him docile and passive was even worse. "Anakin. Please calm down."

"I'm sure you'd calm down if you were fucking—."

"You're not blind—you're vision has just been compromised and—."

"I can't feel my arms either. I didn't lose my other goddammed arm did I?"

Obi-Wan could hear the panic in Anakin's voice, and did his best to keep his own tone neutral, even though he was feeling slightly on edge. "Your left arm is broken, but it's still here." He squeezed Anakin's fingertips. "Can you feel that?"

Some of the tension left Anakin's shoulders. "Yes."

"They've given you some pain medication, so that's probably why you feel numb." Obi-Wan reached over and patted Anakin's cyber arm. "We think the circuits in your right arm were damaged by Palpatine's Force lighting. I convinced Bant that you'd want to see if you could make the repairs yourself instead of getting a replacement."

"Good idea—thanks."

"How are you feeling?"

"Stiff. But not too bad." He turned his head toward Obi-Wan. "Padmé. How is she?"

"She's fine. She's been here several times."

"Why in Sith hell was _she_ here?"

"Because you're the father of her child—she doesn't want anything to happen to you." Obi-Wan wasn't really sure why Padmé had come—he'd barely spoken to her at all. She came over every morning before the Senate convened and inquired about Anakin's health, but he usually let Bant speak to her.

Anakin turned his head away at that. "Stupid bitch."

Obi-Wan didn't want Anakin to become too agitated so soon. "Now—."

"I don't want to hear it, Master. I don't want to know about her new life or how she's not that bad."

"All right, Padawan, but you did ask about her."

"I just wanted to make sure she was safe. Even though I wanted to kill her, I didn't really want her to die."

Obi-Wan smiled even though Anakin couldn't see him. "I know."

Anakin turned his head back toward his Master. "How did he die? I can't remember."

"They found you and Palpatine in his office. His body had been cut in half by a lightsaber, from the head all the way down. You were lying near him."

"He was cut in half?"

"Yes, it sounds quite gruesome—you split him in half from head to toe instead of decapitating him."

"I wish I could remember doing it."

"You might in time." Obi-Wan knew he should tell Anakin that remembering wasn't important—that being proud of killing someone—even a Sith—was not the Jedi way, but at that point, Obi-Wan really didn't care if Anakin had a little extra pride. The boy had killed two Sith Lords, and if Obi-Wan were honest with himself, he still felt a tiny bit of pleasure that he was the one to eliminate Darth Maul all those years ago.

Obi-Wan touched Anakin's fingers again, this time to comfort himself instead of Anakin. "They first thought the Sith Master had killed you both, but then Mace found the red lightsaber. They broke into his desk and found a Sith holocron."

Anakin shook his head. "All those years that he praised me, it was meaningless…"

Obi-Wan changed the subject rather than letting Anakin dwell on Palpatine's deceit. "I'm proud of you. Already the Jedi feel the difference. The Force is less cloudy—it's sharper, and more in focus."

Anakin grinned. "Mace better quit riding my ass now."

"I agree, but he's still Master Windu to you."

"Can't you just indulge me a little bit, Master? I think I can call him Mace now that I've fucking ended the Sith rule."

"Don't let it go to your head, Padawan."

"I'm kidding, Master."

"No, you're not. But it's fine—I'm glad to have you back." Obi-Wan lifted his free hand and touched Anakin's cheek. "You're sleepy—I'm going to let you rest."

Anakin wrapped his fingers around Obi-Wan's. "Will you stay?"

"Of course." Obi-Wan paused, unsure if he should tell Anakin now, but decided the truth was best. "Before you sleep, I think you should know—the Council knows about Padmé and your child."

Anakin groaned. "How?"

"I told them. I was afraid they'd find out anyway, so I went to Yoda and told him that you had confessed to me, but that the relationship was over, so I had told you to meditate on it before taking any action."

"And? What's going to happen?"

"Yoda decided that destroying the Sith Master that has eluded us for thirteen years was enough to get you off the hook. I'm sure they'll want to lecture you for about a thousand years, but your position is secure."

Anakin let out a small laugh before wincing. "Have you actually gotten a sense of humor, Master?"

"Well…when you hear what else I have to tell you, you're going to wonder."

"What is that supposed to mean?"

"First, Padmé and Bail are engaged."

"Wonderful." Anakin took a shallow breath. "What else?"

Obi-Wan thought he heard Anakin muttering 'whore' quietly, but he didn't try to admonish him again—he happened to agree with Anakin on that point. Couldn't she have at least waited until Anakin was well?

The next part wasn't bad news exactly, but it was a bit overwhelming. Obi-Wan squeezed Anakin's fingers gently. "Second, Padmé found out last week that the two of you are having twins."


End file.
